DOE News:

CINCINNATI – The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center recently announced the award of a contract to CAST Specialty Transportation, Inc. (CAST) of Henderson, Colo., for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) transportation services. The Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract will use firm-fixed price task orders, with some cost reimbursement (no fee) items, with an estimated value up to $112 million. There is a five-year performance period, which includes a 60-day transition.

CAST will provide facilities, personnel, and equipment to operate a local terminal within the Greater Carlsbad, New Mexico (within 10 miles) area and transportation and maintenance services necessary to support WIPP and shipments of transuranic (TRU) waste. TRU waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, debris, residues and other disposal items contaminated with radioactive elements – mostly plutonium. These elements are manmade and have an atomic number greater than uranium. TRU waste was generated during the research and production of nuclear weapons at national laboratories and weapons production facilities across the country.

Transportation services include carrier services for the safe transport of contact handled (CH) and remote handled (RH) TRU waste and mixed hazardous constituents including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and asbestos. Shipments are made between various DOE sites across the country and other defense-related TRU waste generator sites to the WIPP site, near Carlsbad.

TRU waste must be transported in Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved, Type-B packaging. Truck drivers must meet and maintain stringent safety and hazardous materials hauling qualification.

WIPP is the nation’s only deep-geologic repository to isolate defense-related transuranic (TRU) mixed waste from the environment.